Too much of everything

Some things I liked some I did not.

Absolutely brilliant

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Drink-Drank-Drunk is a romantic comedy about Siu Min, a bar girl who takes pity on Michael, an ethnic Chinese restaurateur from France drinking away his misfortune because his food is too sophisticated for and thus unpopular with the working class neighborhood in which both work.It features Miriam Yeung and Daniel Wu together with Alex Fong,Vincent Kok,Hu Jing and Ella Koon.It is written and directed by Derek Yee.In the storyline,the ambitious Siu Min becomes Michael's partner in the restaurant business due to being unsatisfied with spending her days as a bar girl.Eventually falls in love with him. Michael, however, must reconcile his dream of traveling the world with his other dream of running a successful restaurant.Will he pursue his dream instead or fight for Siu Min's love?The movie is basically decent as there is a lack of chemistry between the lead stars.Aside from that,the story did provide very little interest and very few laughs in this romantic comedy.Most of all,everything from the start was clichéd and predictable as it follows through what most romcoms do before the lead stars fall in love and end up with each other.Only this time there are drinks of liquor involved.

This film is beautifully shot illustrating a bustling, colourful district in Hong Kong.Daniel Wu stars as a chef, who like most chefs likes his sauce. And Miriam Yeung plays a 'bar girl' who's willing to supply him with all the sauce he can handle!The two leads then decide to go into business together, live together, fight together, split up together, and get back together. In other words Romantic Comedy. Supporting is a quirky group of characters all adding to the film.Overall - Wit, Charm, Colour

They say that the number one killer of movies is people's high expectations. For once I agree with the ever-nagging masses. And prior to viewing this film it's exactly what I did, I lowered my expectations by a few notches, even though the director here is no chop liver. "Why should I adjust my expectations for anything?" some of you might ask, I don't know, but would you rather be disappointed, again? One of the film's reoccurring themes deals with the "phenomena" of drunk people, who say things that they either don't really mean or yelp things that they otherwise wouldn't dare say when sober. So we meet our designated love birds. Miriam plays a feisty beer server who coincidently doesn't get drunk easily. She, like everyone else has aspirations. Next comes Daniel Wu, a free spirited globetrotter with cooking credentials in French cuisine. He on the other hand gets drunk fast which helps him to meet Miriam, while puking and muttering (cohesively) in French, but I'm sure that he'll still somehow manage to resonate his on screen charms on his female fans. Doesn't take a brewer to figure out that the two will hit it off but what I found pleasant was that the turning point of their relationship wasn't dragged on and manipulated. I can't say that the two provided the best chemistry of romantic comedies, but at least they weren't at all annoying or cheesy. The enjoyably non-sleazy humor noticeable lessens halfway through the film which is as expected in this genre as the happy endings and the sad radio-friendly love songs playing over scenes like a music video.There are other characters too you know. Notably Alex Fong and Vincent Kok, who could have easily over played their characters into complete wackiness, but instead provide a lukewarm shtick, which may leave some people yearning for more. The director does a right thing of not entirely replacing the humor with sappy romance fluff. The problems feel rather real although they also feel very light and unable of delivering a grand climax. That's where the bubble might burst for some of you due to high expectations.Soon after, the evil woman shows up and for a few instances drives these characters apart. Again, nothing that we've never seen before. Jing Hu plays a spoiled restaurant entrepreneur, who likes to get things her way. She woos Daniel Wu's character (no pun intended) by lavishing him with gifts and a high profile job, but once again the direction strays from serious dramatic resolutions and instead keeps things playful and free of heavy consequences.In the end I was entertained and not entirely let down yet not exactly satisfied with Drink, Drank, Drunk. I was able to avoid making comparison with the director's past work, mainly because this film didn't feel too contrived and maintained a linear plot albeit a harmless one. Just don't expect any ground-breaking textures and subtle humor here, but if you are looking for a routine romantic comedy with fine performances and a happy ending, then by all means give this a try. Considering how much worse romantic comedies turn out sometimes, this one did a fine job. But I think ultimately it comes down to whether you're a glass is half-empty or a glass is half-full type of a person.

If it wasn't for the calendar right next to my computer everything would seem like back in wonderful 1992. Whacky romantic comedy standards, bubbly chic, haughtily evil Putonghua speakers and egotistical Westerners. Why, there's even a schmaltzy Mandopop moment to floor your hearts with nostalgic joy. Not surprising as a product from Mr. Derek Yee, craftsman behind earlier classic One Nite in Mongkok. Yee has a gift, his movies always make Hong Kong look good and brimming with a sense of place that real-life residents find endearing as they don't always see it the same way actually living there. Furthermore, a typically stolid cast of characters, especially those in support of main protagonists, imbue Drink, Drank, Drunk with its layers of fun and eccentricity, without which it may have ended up an OK but ho hum comedy romp.DDD has been getting PR of the sort usually reserved for brainless fodder, understandable in light of its summery release and the kind of audiences distributors are going for. However, it's very much akin to Crazy n the City of a few months ago in that there's so much more here than meets the eye, with the gaudy comedic thrills working magically en route to one of the better motion pictures of the year thus far. Although awash with blatant product placement (especially Budweiser), DDD transpires to be a superb feel good movie full of wit and charm, as well as whole-blooded, cynical laughs that, for a change, work. It stars Miriam Yeung and Daniel Wu together again, re-enacting their old magic from those heady Love Undercover days. The pair has good chemistry, and it's put to great use throughout, with Yeung's natural affinity for humor tuning effortlessly to Wu's diverse range of macho-sensitive capabilities. Yeung does Siu Min, a Bud booster trawling the city's bar and restaurant areas along with ditzy co-workers Toby and Rene. Their lot is a happy but uneasy one, facing rival beer grrrls and the ever present search for good men. Siu Min, on the other hand, has given up trying to pinpoint her chevalier, raising concerns among friends regarding her sexual orientation. Speaking of friends, we have quite the entourage on hand, including satisfying performances by Vincent Kok as Yeung's decidedly gay employer and Stephen Fong, again sporting his by now obligatory facial hair. Fong plays Brother Nine, the local triad boss and Siu Min's protector, who's also keen on seeing her married off to some unsuspecting victim.As a capper, Siu Min's notorious for her immunity to alcohol. She can put them away at no risk, something that can't be said for sentiment. When she meets rolling stone Michael (Wu), Siu Min soon develops a dependence and the two fall for each other. Wu performs well, too. His character, a vagabond French chef with huge dreams and a knack for whipping up the most excruciatingly bizarre cuisine, teams up with Siu Min as they build a professional and personal relationship, much to the puzzlement of those around them.Later on, temptation arrives via one of Michael's sojourning buddies, tempting him to relinquish the urbane existence he'd forged with Siu Min and head back down the endless road of adventure. And before you know it, a super-wealthy, attractive female entrepreneur sets her sights on Michael both romantically and as management for her chain of ultra pricey outlets. This adds turbulence to our antic lovers' steadfast course, but needless to say there's hope yet.On the face of it, DDD may seem not too special. Having said that, it feels more like a genuine HK product than anything we've seen over the season so far, and despite its mainstream accoutrements possesses a free-wheeling spirit fit for a release much more critical-indie by nature. Gags and jokes present good writing and an eye for ridiculing the contemporary rather than the bland, while Yee's pacing remains intact: there's hardly a slow or boring moment. The cast carries out respective roles with confidence, as we get a slew of classic fixtures that have served this genre faithfully for decades, from bitchy beauties to rough but ludicrous mobsters and senile old grannies at street corners.Those hankering for a slice of what Hong Kong romantic comedies used to be like before the city's movie industry began atrophying will immediately realize Drink Drank Drunk provides more than an ample glance. It's funny, apt and nicely executed.Rating: * * * *